During a speech at the presentation of the CDU’s candidacy for the Loures City Council, headed by Gonçalo Caroço, Paulo Raimundo emphasized that coalition members see a house as more than just “four walls and a roof” but as “a life.”
“Because inside four walls and under every roof are people: men, women, and children. Tearing down a roof, however precarious, without alternatives, is an attack not on the roof, not on the walls… It is an attack on the lives of those inside, on the lives of those who work,” Paulo Raimundo stated, drawing strong applause.
The PCP Secretary-General was referring to the demolitions of homes in Bairro do Talude between July and August, decided by the current mayor of Loures, Ricardo Leão (PS).
In this campaign-like speech, Paulo Raimundo aimed to differentiate the CDU project—which led Loures from 2013 to 2021 until being defeated by Ricardo Leão—from the PS’s stance, stating that the people “unfortunately have learned from experience” the difference between the two municipal administrations.
The PCP Secretary-General argued that the difference is not only in projects but also in completed works, ironically stating that “the great specialty of PS officials” is “inaugurating works that the CDU left underway.”
“But the difference is not just that. The real difference is for whom our work is intended. Our project is for the people (…) We stand firmly in defense of public services. While for others everything may be a business, for us some things will never be a business: water, waste, green spaces, workers’ rights will never be business, unlike others,” he stressed.
Continuing to contrast the coalition’s project with that of “others,” Paulo Raimundo highlighted that the CDU is committed to initiatives such as the metro in Loures or cheaper single social passes, “while others have drawers where they store promises and the rightful demands of the people.”
Then, addressing the coalition members listening to him, the PCP Secretary-General warned that CDU’s political opponents will start carrying “very large bags filled with promises to distribute” and made a request to them.
“We must tell the people of Loures: here, we make no empty promises. Here, we make commitments and honor all commitments we take every day for the people,” he asserted.
Paulo Raimundo also noted that across the country, particularly in Loures, CDU’s opponents have “many resources, much strength, many posters, many banners, and perhaps many free meals.”
“We can’t compete with that, nor do we want to. But we have what none of them have: years of work, of connection to life, of connection to the people. We have a heritage that no other force has. Let’s activate that heritage,” he urged.
The PCP Secretary-General further mentioned that CDU’s opponents “will stop at nothing to achieve their goals,” resorting to “lies, clientelism, blackmail, pressure, and sometimes even job promises.”
“This is not our playing field. Our playing field is truth,” he declared, stressing that in the CDU, “there is no demagogy, no lies, no deceit,” and nothing is “sold as snake oil.”
“Here, no one bows to great interests, no matter how big and strong they are,” he said.
